This invention relates to a transportable frame and an equipment frame for use with a load handling system. Load handling systems for loading a vehicle by pulling the load onto the vehicle over the rear of the vehicle are known, see for example British Patents Nos. 2033346 and 2092993. A system designed for military use is shown in European Patent No. 107892. A disadvantage of known systems is that they lack flexibility and versatility. These devices are suitable for the handling of such exchange platforms and cargo spaces below whose bottoms there are two carrying beams, whereat the parts of the loading device, in the transportation position, can be fitted between the beams of the platform placed on the vehicle, underneath the bottom of the platform. If the load to be handled has a substantially plane bottom, these devices cannot be used as such. The use of the device also requires a grasping loop placed at a certain level on the load platform. Problems are also caused when the vehicle cannot be driven to direct proximity of the load to be raised, and in particular when a floating load must be lifted out of water onto the vehicle.
The present invention aims to provide an improvement in this respect.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a transportable frame for carrying a load, the frame having longitudinal beams and an upstanding end portion formed by upstanding beams and a cross piece, in which the upstanding end portion has coupling means whereby an equipment frame can be detachably secured thereto.
Preferably the upstanding end portion has upper and lower coupling means attached thereto.
The upper coupling means may take the form of a pair of recesses for receiving laterally projecting members mounted on the equipment frame.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an equipment frame which includes connected beams and coupling means carried by the beams, an upper region of the frame having a support (e.g. a platform) capable of having secured thereto an item of equipment.
Preferably the connected beams carry upper and lower coupling means designed for co-operation with the coupling means on the transportable frame.
The upper coupling means may take the form of a pair of members which laterally project from respective beams of the equipment frame.
To the best of Applicant's knowledge and belief, the invention is unique in that the load handling system can load or unload items onto or off the transportable frame while the latter is carried on the vehicle. This has never been possible before, with any prior known load handling system of the kind described herein. This unique advantage is achievable because of the ability to attach and detach the equipment frame from the transportable frame when the latter is in loaded position on the vehicle. This enables the system to carry out tasks, for example fire rescue or street lamp replacement or repair, which could not be done by prior art systems without unloading the vehicle.
The equipment frame may include a pair of inclined beams and a hook bar extending between the beams. The support may connect the pair of beams at their upper ends and the hook bar preferably connects intermediate regions of the beams. The equipment frame may carry a winch mounted on the support. The winch may be powered by hydraulic fluid supplied under pressure from the vehicle. It (the support) may also carry a cable guide fitting. Alternatively, the equipment frame may carry any other hydraulically powered equipment, e.g. a mixer such as a cement mixer, spraying equipment, fire-fighting equipment or sand-blasting equipment. In this way, a variety of desired functions can be carried out as well as the loading or unloading of the transportable equipment frames onto or off the vehicle. Moreover, the additional function can be carried out without unloading the transportable frame from the vehicle and whether or not the transportable frame is itself carrying a load.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a load carrying frame assembly which consists of a transportable frame as defined above in combination with an equipment frame as defined above. Such an assembly can be loaded onto and unloaded off a vehicle over the rear of the vehicle using known hook arm systems, e.g. of the types disclosed in British Patent Nos. 2033346 and 2092993 and European Patent No. 107892.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a load carrying vehicle having a movable hook arm which can pivot around a pivotal connection to a link member itself pivotally connected to the vehicle, in combination with a transportable frame and an equipment frame as described herein, the hook arm being engageable with the hook bar of the equipment frame and the vehicle and the frames being constructed and arranged so that in the vehicle-loaded condition the equipment frame is located to the rear of the transportable frame and the engagement of the hook with the hook bar prevents rearward movement of the transportable frame whether or not the coupling means between the equipment and transportable frames are secured.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for loading a load onto a transportation vehicle and for removing it from the vehicle, which said vehicle is provided with a loading and unloading mechanism that includes a hook arm, an end of the hook arm being provided with a hook or a grasping member and the arm being pivotable around a transverse shaft located remote from the hook, in which the system also includes a transportable frame which can be loaded onto and off the vehicle by the mechanism, there being an equipment frame which can be detachably connected to either the mechanism or the transportable frame and which carries a winch or the like associated with a cable guided by a cable guide on the equipment frame, the cable being usable in the launching of a bridge or pontoon initially carried on the transportable frame.
The hook arm may be an L-shaped member or may be constituted by two members pivotally connected together.
The cable guide member placed above the hook of the angle piece also permits handling of such load units whose grasping loop is placed at a relatively high level in the transportation position.
The system can also be used, e.g., for lifting a wrecked car onto the transportation vehicle even from further outside the road.